[2] Michael James Heney was born on October 24, 1864, near Stonecliffe, Renfrew County, Canada West.
At age 14, Heney ran away from home to work on the newly announced Canadian Pacific Railway.
By chance, he met Erastus Hawkins representing the Pacific Contract Company, Limited, which was organized to build through the White Pass inside of the St. James hotels lobby.
Built through mountainous wilderness, far from supplies, using labor that was returning from the gold fields, the 110.7 mile White Pass and Yukon Route was an outstanding achievement and gained Heney an international reputation.
He surveyed a route, bought land, named the city of Cordova, Alaska and started construction, while rival companies built on different lines.
When an alternate route starting at the Katalla, Alaska, port was "wiped out in a winter storm", the syndicate acquired the Close Brothers-Heney interest.
A glacier,[5] Heney Peak and range of mountains in Alaska overlooking Cordova bears his name.